Browsing: December 13

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on December 13th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On December 13, 1294, Pope Celestine V, also known as Saint Celestine, resigned from the office of Pope of the Roman Catholic Church after only five months as pope. On December 13, 1577, Francis Drake set out from Plymouth, England on his ship, the Golden Hind, on a voyage that would take the ship and crew around the world, the first circumnavigation…

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A Brief History On December 13, 1961, renowned American painter known as Grandma Moses died at the age of 101.  Anna Moses began painting seriously at the age of 78, and became a celebrity in the 1950s, appearing in magazines and on television. Digging Deeper Moses was the inspiration for the “Granny Moses” character on the Beverly Hillbillies TV show and was honored with a US postage stamp. Some other notable American artists that contend for the title as “Greatest” include: Mary Cassatt, impressionist painter and printmaker. Georgia O’Keefe, suspected of including vagina references in her works. Jackson Pollock, unconventional…

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A Brief History On December 13, 2019 (Friday the 13th for those that keep track of such things), we have the good fortune of the widespread release of the latest movie in the Jumanji franchise, Jumanji: The Next Level.  The Jumanji saga started with a book by Chris Van Allsburg in 1981, and hit the big screen in 1995 with a film starring Robin Williams.  The franchise got a major boost with the 2017 film, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the success of which guaranteed this latest sequel. Digging Deeper The first Jumanji movie had a budget of $65 million…

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A Brief History On December 13, 1971, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard arguments in a lawsuit by Norma McCorvey (known as “Jane Roe” for the purposes of the lawsuit) against the Dallas County (Texas) Attorney Henry Wade in the landmark American court case about the subject of a woman’s right to seek an abortion, ending an unwanted pregnancy.  The case is formally knowns as Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) and ever since the decision was handed down in January of 1973 the case has been a topic of heated debate between “Pro-Life” (aka, anti-abortion)…

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A Brief History On December 13, 2017, our Jewish friends celebrate the Festival of Lights and the Feast of Dedication, known better as Hanukkah.  Right off the bat, the confusion starts with the spelling of “Hanukkah!”  You may find this word spelled several different ways, so just pick the one you like.  No matter how you spell it, Hanukkah adds up to 8 Crazy Nights! Digging Deeper Celebrated to commemorate the founding of the Second Temple, Hanukkah rites center around an 8 candle candelabrum called a menorah, with a ninth candle holder holding a candle called a Shamash, usually in…

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